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Ranged Magical Attack
:This article deals specifically with '''Magical' Ranged Attacks. For an overview of how Ranged Attacks work in general, see Ranged Attack.'' A Ranged Magical Attack (or "Magical Ranged Attack") is one of three kinds of Ranged Attacks available in Master of Magic. When a unit is capable of making a Ranged Magical Attack, its details panel will show the strength of the attack as a series of . The same icon is used on this wiki to represent Ranged Magical Attacks and/or their strength. Ranged Magical Attacks have two important advantages over other Ranged Attacks. Firstly, they are accurate at any distance, suffering no penalties based on the range to the target. Thus, a Magical Ranged Attack is as effective across the entire battlefield as it is when up-close. Furthermore, Ranged Magical Attacks are often stronger and much more common than Ranged Missile Attacks, and will completely bypass a target's Missile Immunity, if any. On the other hand, Ranged Magical Attacks can be stopped very easily by targets possessing Magic Immunity. Also, there are spells meant specifically to block a unit's resistance to Ranged Magical Attacks of certain types. Like all other Ranged Attacks, Ranged Magical Attacks may only be used a limited number of times per battle. For most units, this is a set number displayed in the unit's details panel, as it would be for a Ranged Missile Attacker or Ranged Boulder Attacker. Other Ranged Magical Attack units must pay out of their own pool for each attack, and thus are the number of attacks they can make is limited by the size of their (possibly dynamic) pool. Ranged Magical Attacks are the most common of all Ranged Attacks in the game, possessed by no fewer than 20 different types of Normal Units, 6 Fantastic Units, and 16 Heroes. All Heroes possessing a Ranged Magical Attack may use a Staff or Wand to increase the strength of this attack. Finally, for the purposes of this wiki, all direct-damage spells are said to deliver a Ranged Magical Attack against their target, since they usually follow the same rules outlined below. Therefore, the strength of such spells is also denoted by the . Ranged Magical Attack Properties A is one of three different types of Ranged Attack in Master of Magic, with the other two being Ranged Missile Attacks and Ranged Boulder Attacks. There are several important differences between each of these attack types. The advantages and disadvantages of Ranged Magical Attacks are explained below - for an overall comparison, see Ranged Attack. No Distance Penalties The primary advantage of Ranged Magical Attacks is that they suffer no penalties based on the distance to the target. Other Ranged Attacks will suffer a penalty corresponding to that distance, making them weaker the further away the target. As a result, Ranged Magical Attacks are exactly as useful when the target is all the way on the other side of the battlefield as they are when the target is immediately adjacent to the attacker. Tactically speaking, this means that Ranged Magical Attack units can unleash this attack immediately at the start of the battle without having to close the distance first. It also means that enemy targets cannot minimize their damage by moving away from the attacker. Overall, this results in an increased damage output for the attacker, compared to similar-strength or . When going into battle against Ranged Magical Attackers, expect weak units to die or be seriously injured before they can even make contact with the enemy. No Immunity to Missiles Ranged Magical Attacks do not trigger a target's Missile Immunity (if it possesses one at all). Thus, units with a Ranged Magical Attack are often brought in to fight Missile-Immune opponents, where would simply have no effect whatsoever. Magical Damage All Ranged Magical Attacks deliver Magical Damage to the target. Unfortunately this is a disadvantage, since Magical Damage can easily be stopped by several effects, such as Magic Immunity. When a unit with Magic Immunity is struck by a Ranged Magical Attack, its Defense score is temporarily boosted to for purposes of blocking this attack. This normally results in the attack delivering no damage at all to the target. The only exceptions occur when the Ranged Magical Attack is so powerful that it can actually defeat . Only powerful and highly-Experienced Heroes, augmented by powerful Magical Items, will be able to do this. Furthermore, several spells and abilities will raise the unit's against Ranged Magical Attacks by a small amount, reducing damage from such attacks. The most common example is Resist Magic, though Resist Elements and Bless may also have some effect against particular types of Ranged Magical Attacks (see below). Ranged Magical Attack Subtypes When different units perform a Ranged Magical Attack, the animation of the energy bolt they fire may differ from that of other units. This is not simply a cosmetic difference - it indicates the Magical Realm with which the attack is associated, and may alter the behavior of the attack if the target is protected by certain spells. The following table explains briefly how to recognize a Ranged Magical Attack belonging to a specific Realm. Note that this table is not exact, it is a rough guideline, and there may or may not be exceptions that are not listed below. (There is no known Ranged Magical Attack associated with the Realm). Spells like Resist Elements and Bless may or may not confer bonuses against specific types of Ranged Magical Attacks. Research on this issue is still pending - please add more information if you have it. Units with Ranged Magical Attacks The game contains exactly 42 units that possess a Ranged Magical Attack. These are the only units that possess such an attack: no unit may acquire a Ranged Magical Attack under any circumstance if it does not have one by default. Normal Units 20 of the Ranged Magical Attack units in the game are Normal Units from various Races. Shamans, Priests and Magicians all possess a Ranged Magical Attack. So do the majority of Dark Elf units - including the Warlocks and Nightmares - which get a Ranged Magical Attack as one of their racial advantages. All of these units may make up to 4 Ranged Magical Attacks per battle. Since these units are all , their overall attack strength can be pretty high, and thus quite dangerous to opponents. Normal Units acquire Experience over time, which slowly increases the strength of their Ranged Magical Attack. Some can become very powerful by the time they reach Level 4 ("Elite") or higher. The table below lists a unit's strength when it is still at its lowest with no bonuses whatsoever. Fantastic Units 6 Fantastic Units may make Ranged Magical Attacks. Of these, the Sprites and Storm Giant may make up to 4 such attacks per battle, while the Shadow Demons and Demon Lord may make up to 8 such attacks per battle. The Efreet and Djinn have personal pools, and will spend on each Ranged Magical Attack they perform. Note that the Efreet and Djinn may also spend on casting spells, and so may not have any left for performing this attack - use judgement to determine how to spend their Mana properly. Heroes There are 16 Heroes in the game who possess a Ranged Magical Attack. Each of these Heroes is also a Caster, with his/her own personal pool and the ability to cast spells during combat. Each Ranged Magical Attack performed by such a Hero requires from that pool, and cannot be performed if there is insufficient Mana left for it. Fortunately, Heroes' pools will gradually grow with Experience, thus allowing more and more Ranged Magical Attacks to be performed (that is, assuming the extra Mana is not used to cast more spells). Each of these 16 Heroes is also capable of holding a Staff or Wand. Any attack-strength bonuses and/or bonuses on the item will improve the user's strength. Bonuses on Jewelry items also apply to the wearer's Ranged Magical Attack, if he/she possesses one. Heroes gain Experience over time, and their strength increases at a rate of per level. Furthermore, if a Hero possesses a Ranged Magical Attack as well as the Arcane Power ability, his/her strength increases by an additional or per Experience Level (depending on the strength of the Hero's Arcane Power ability). Such Heroes can eventually have extremely powerful attacks, which may annihilate entire enemy units shortly after the beginning of combat. Spells Delivering a Ranged Magical Attack Each and every spell that delivers direct-damage is considered on this wiki to be delivering a . This is because, for the most part, the process of dealing damage from such a spell is identical to the process of delivering damage from a . There are a few exceptions, but they still behave much more like a Ranged Magical Attack than any other type of attack.